by Holly Riley

What do you think is impossible in your life—or nearly impossible? Is there something you have given up on that used to make your heart pound fast and your passion for living get fired up just from the mere thought of it? Can you think of one of those things that used to make your life sizzle and become exciting just by imagining it?

Do you remember those dreams that were so wonderful to dream as a child—dreams that maybe went something like this, “I am going to be a hero when I grow up!” Or, “An amazing dancer!” Or, “A famous artist and travel the world!” Or….

Maybe our dreams are a bit different now. Perhaps what we truly want is a bit hazy, not so clear, and seemingly less important than simply surviving each day. What happened to those dreams? What happened to the dreamer?

The Avatar tools have allowed me to rediscover my passionate heart. I am not so afraid of failing, not so afraid of what someone else may think of me. Not so consumed with doing what someone else thinks is right, but rather more interested in awakening the me that trusts itself and the joy that comes from that.

I think it is interesting how some of us are inspired to follow our childhood dreams and passions right into success. Then, some of us work very hard to achieve even a small amount of progress toward a dream, but still we never give up. Then there are some of us who struggle a great deal and eventually, no longer feeling inspired, we quit. We settle for what we have, losing hope for what could be. We begin figuring out how to survive life instead of being inspired and having the courage to go for our dreams. I was wondering how does one create being inspired? Where does courage come from? What has one succeed and one fail? What does being committed look like and feel like? Avatar answered these questions for me.

When I heard Harry Palmer’s definition of inspiring, something clicked for me. As a mother, as a wife, and as a person interested in supporting friends in enjoying the magic of life, his definition was key. Mr. Palmer defines inspiring as, awakening a viewpoint that realizes that something that seemed impossible can actually be done!

Have you ever taken notice of someone who is certain they can do something, even though others around them are not? They just keep moving forward with amazing perseverance; they never give up. They use each mis-take as an opportunity for increased awareness to apply to the next step. People like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela—so inspiring and so inspired!

How about mothers and fathers, teachers, friends, or any fellow human? What does it take for a viewpoint to be awakened so we can all realize that something that seems impossible can actually be done? As parents, don’t we reach to inspire our children? As employers, don’t we strive to have inspired employees? And as teachers, don’t we work so hard to inspire our students? So a question worth contemplation may be how does one become inspired or inspire another?

Maybe one of the best ways to inspire others is to be inspired!

On The Avatar Course I ended up so inspired I began seeing life through new eyes. I saw possibilities in work, love, and parenting that were beyond my view prior to the course. On ReSurfacing we explored how the momentum needed to accomplish any task, project, or goal is created and how, when we applied the Avatar tools, we can awaken that joy and passion for creating. Inspiration is the by-product of Avatar. The process and sequence of the exercises on the course ended up being the magic fuel! We learned to remove the patterning and obstacles that we have packed on top of our dreams so we could awaken our ability to be source of our life instead of just to survive it. Avatar is like a jump-start for our hearts.

I see now how I had been waiting for something outside of me to inspire me. What a wake-up call. I don’t have to wait to be inspired, hope to be inspired, expect others to inspire me, or give up on being inspired. Inspiration comes from within. It’s a product of my interpretation of reality and something I can cultivate by using the Avatar tools. I can let go of discouragement and create courage to go for my dreams. With these tools, we can actually design our future instead of repeat our past. It’s up to us.

I love how The Avatar Course puts you right into the heart of things. Watching people wake up with an excitement for life that they forgot existed is such a treasure. To see them end up with joy and passion like that of a child exploring and adoring the world helps me realize how my life can make a difference.

Avatar awakens the dreamer… and the courage to create the dream!

Holly Riley, Nevada

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